Imagining Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson running head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense is enough to make fans giddy and willing to watch the team risk giving up years of top draft picks. How about the idea of seeing Watson hitting San Francisco 49ers receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in stride or making things happen by improvising when a defense takes away his offensive weapons?
A Watson-49ers marriage may never come to fruition, but it is fun to talk about, and the media sure has enjoyed discussing the possibility. However, Colin Cowherd is not among those who feel the fit is as perfect as others assume.
Last week, the FS1 host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd went through the most talked about landing spots for Watson, including San Francisco, and shared his opinion on whether or not each was a good fit. He labeled each potential destination as either "Wats-On," indicating that it was a good fit, or "Wats-Off," indicating that it was not.
Cowherd wasn't high on a Watson-to-49ers trade scenario.
"I think people would be surprised -- he doesn't look right in that jersey," said Cowherd. "I'm going to say Wats-Off. First of all, he's got a history of injuries. So did Jimmy G. So, I think San Francisco would prefer to get a player without the big contract with little injury concern."
While Watson suffered ACL injuries during his freshman year at Clemson and his rookie season in the NFL, the quarterback has played in all but one game over the past three seasons. That one game was Watson sitting out the Week 17 finale in 2019.
"This feels like an offense that is so run-centric, that Shanahan has a ton of control and doesn't want his quarterback to do too much playmaking," continued Cowherd. "I think he likes quarterbacks that do what Shanahan wants, and sometimes Deshaun, you've got to let him be Deshaun. Wats-Off."
We may have seen Watson play his last snap as a Texan. The frustrated quarterback is unhappy with how he has been treated by the organization and how some of the decisions have been made there. Watson signed a four-year, $156 million extension before the 2020 season and has a no-trade clause in the deal. That gives him some leverage on where he lands, should he force a trade by the Texans.
Which teams did Cowherd feel were "Wats-On" in his little rundown? They were the Maimi Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
You can watch the entire segment below.
